All Chapters of The Day I Stopped Being Mr Nice Guy: Chapter 131
- Chapter 140
164 chapters
CHAPTER 131
Clara Vance’s office was quiet. She was finishing an email when her assistant, Lena, walked in with a thick folder.“Ms. Vance, the Brookfield contracts for your signature,” Lena said as she placed it on the desk.“Thank you,” Clara said. She opened the folder for her final check. Her eyes went straight to the project lead section. She froze.Her name was gone.The line read: project Lead and final Approval: M. Lockwood.Clara looked up and asked coldly, “Lena. What is this? This is wrong. My name should be here.”The smile faded off from Lena’s face instantly. Then she looked nervous and stuttered, “Oh. That….that is correct, Ms. Vance.” “Correct? How is this correct?” Clara’s voice rose into a high pitch. “The Brookfield Plaza is my project. It is our most important deal. Why is Mason’a name on it?”Lena shifted her weight and said in an apologetic manner. “I am sorry. Mr. Lockwood’s office instructed us to reassign it to him. About ten days ago. I thought you knew.”“You thought I
CHAPTER 132
The door clicked shut behind Clara with a light hiss. Mason stood in the center of his silent penthouse, the warm smile on his face vanished instantly. He walked to the window and watched her car pull away from the building.He waited for five full minutes, before pulling out his phone to make a call.It rang twice before it answered. “Yes. Mr. Lockwood.”“Lena,” Mason said flatly in a low voice, with all of the earlier warmth gone. “We have a problem.”“Oh, I am so sorry, Mr Lockwood. She was furious. I did exactly as you instructed. I told her it was a routine reassignment and I assumed she knew……”“I know what you told her,” Mason interrupted coldly. “You did fine. The problem is not you, the problem is she came straight here. She is more alert than I expected.”“What does that mean?” Lena asked shakily.“It means we have to be more careful. Slower. She is watching now.” He paced the length of his office. Then he continued, “You will keep me updated on everything. Every meeting she
CHAPTER 133
Dante sat on the floor of his study with crayon scattered around him. Daisy was coloring a picture of a dinosaur with a purple hat.“Daddy, look! His name is Mr. Munch,” Daisy said, as she held up the paper excitedly.“He is very handsome,” Dante said, with a huge smile on his face. “But why the hat?”“Because it is sunny! He needs a hat so he does not get a hot head.” She chirped excitedly.Dante laughed. Then his phone buzzed on the desk, which he ignored.It buzzed again and again.“Daddy, your phone is dancing,” Daisy said.“It is being rude,” Dante said. “It is interrupting Mr. Munch.” Then he got up and checked it. The caller ID said Harold Finch. Then he frowned, because Finch rarely called. “Sweetie, Daddy has to take this. Two minutes.”“Okay. I will give Mr. Minch a friend.” Daisy said absentmindedly and grabbed a green crayon.Dante answered as he walked to the window. “Harold. This is a surprise.”“Dante. I need to see you. Tonight.” The old man’s voice sounded grave over
CHAPTER 134
Clara Vance walked through the luxury mall with her friend, Sophie. They were looking at wedding gowns and bouquets.“The gold trim is classic,” Sophie said excitedly as she held out a sample.“Mason thinks it is too traditional.” Clara replied inna hollow tone as she looked around distractedly.Since when does he care about bride outfits?” Sophie asked with a pout.Before Clara could answer, she heard a familiar voice from behind her, she looked up and her mood changed instantly.It was Eva, her former best friend. Eva was in the skincare isle, holding a basket over her arm and talking on her phone, with a tired look in her eyes.“….I told you, the documents need to be filed by Friday at the latest,” Eva was saying into her phone. “No. I can not extend it. That is the deadline.” Then she ended the call and looked up, and her eyes met Clara’s.Eva’s expression turned cold. Without a word, she held her basket tightly and turn to walk away.“Well, look what the cat dragged in,” Clara sa
CHAPTER 135
The Lotus Group boardroom was tense. Clara sat at the head of the long table with her back straight. Mason sat at her right hand side, with a deep scowl on his face. The hall was filled with murmurs and complaints.At the far end of the table, Dante sat quietly, watching.Mr. Fitch looked around impatiently and tapped his water glass. “Order,” he said loudly. “We must have order to begin!”The murmurs did not stop. Mason was leaning towards a man named Mr. Greeves, and was speaking in a low, intense voice. And Clara was whispering sharply to Ms. Lin beside her.“I said QUIET!” Mr Finch yelled and banged his fist in the table. The room fell silent for a second. Then the whispers started again.Dante said calmly, but in a loud voice which cut through the chatter. “If anyone has a complaint or something to say, say it now to the whole room. Otherwise, there will be quiet. This is a board meeting, not a market place.”Mason scoffed loudly without turning to look at Dante. “Listen to him.
CHAPTER 136
Mason paced restlessly across Clara’s expensive living room rug with his phone pressed to his ear and and his free hand clenched tightly into a fist.“Listen to me, Peter. I want you to speed up everything. Every operation against Dante. I do not care what it takes. Double the resources.”Peter’s voice was calm on the other end. “Mason, we are moving so fast as we can without risking exposure. The trial data from Lewis is—”“I do not want excuses! I want results!” Mason snapped angrily, cutting him off. “Tell Moller to hold a meeting with Anya Chan and Lewis. Today. Increase their pay. Double it. I need them to be loyal to me, not just cooperative. I need their full commitment. Do you understand?”“I will pass on the instructions. But doubling the payment is a significant—”“I do not care about the cost!” Mason roared. Then he stopped pacing and stared out the window, at the city lights. “I need information. I need Miller to wire Anya again. I need her wearing it whenever she is in th
CHAPTER 137
The Vertex lab was quiet, and focused. Dante stood at the observation window, watching the four patients, with Liam at his side.“Vital signs are stable across the board,” Liam said loudly as he checked the tablet on his arm. “No adverse reactions. Heart rate, blood pressure, all normal.”“Good,” Dante said softly, with his eyes not leaving the window. “And the blood work fromthe six hour mark?”“Processing now. Initial look shows elevated cellular activity, exactly what we predicted. The regeneration markers are starting to appear.”One of the nurses inside the room gave a thumbs up and Liam nodded.“So far, so good,” Dante said, then he allowed himself to take a small breath of relief. “Keep monitoring them. I want reports every two hours. The next twenty four hours are critical.”“They are in good hands,” Liam assured him.Fifteen minutes later, Dante’s inner circle gathered around in his office. Liam, Anya, Matthew, and Lewis. It was Lewis’s first time in a strategy meeting.Lia
CHAPTER 138
The upscale restaurant was quiet, and lit up by soft golden lights. Mason sat at a corner booth, wearing a warm and polished smile on his face. Across from him sat Amara, who looked elegant in a simple navy dress.“I am glad you agreed to meet me,” Mason said, as he leaned forward slightly. “I have been hoping for this for a while now.”Amara tilted her head sideways and said softly, “You have been persistent, Mason. Flowers at my office. Messages. You even tracked down my favorite coffee shop. That is not casual interest.”“It is not meant to be casual,” Mason said, sounding very low and sincere. “I have been dancing around it for weeks. But tonight I want to be direct with you. I am interested in you, Amara. Romantically. I want something serious between us.”Amara looked at him for a long moment, studying him intensely, with a blank expression on her face. Then after a while, she said softly, “You are asking me to believe you are serious about a woman you barely know.”“I know enou
CHAPTER 139
Dante’s office at Lotus was smaller than his Vertex lab, but it had the same huge floor to ceiling window over looking the city. He sat behind his desk, looking very calm and focused with five people sitting in front of him. While Caleb stood by the window, leaning against the frame as he watched what what happening in the office.Dante looked at the group. His new Brookfield project team, which was a mix of experienced managers and fresh analysts.“Thank you for coming on such short notice,” Dante said in a warm and Businesslike voice. “I know the transition has been sudden. Me Lockwood handled the project before me. Now I am handling it. Some of you worked with him. Some of you are new to me. That is fine. We start afresh today.”A woman named Patricia, who is the senior manager, noddee her head briefly and said, “we are glad to have clarity, Dr. Vance. The team has been uncertain since the board vote.”“The uncertainty ends now.” Dante said. “The first priority. Review all active c
CHAPTER 140
Mason sat in his office at Lockwood Hotel, facing one of his senior board members, Mr. Reeves. And they were discussing the new rooms projections When Mason’s phone vibrated on the desk.He glanced at the screen and saw it was Lena.Then he held up a finger and said, “Excuse me one moment.”Mason stood and walked to the window, with his back to Reeves and whispered, “report.”Lena voice was quick and professional on the phone. “I delivered the documents earlier today. His team was there, and I was able to take a look at everyone sitting in the meeting.”“Names?” Mason asked.“Patricia Evans, the senior project manger. She is experienced and has been with Lotus for eight years. Hughes is the project coordinator, younh and eager. A junior analyst named Park, who seemed nervous and two administrative staff that I could not recognize. And also, Caleb was there, standing by the window, the whole time.”Mason tightened his jaw and snarled, “Caleb. Dante’s attack dog.”“He did not speak mucb